One could excuse Doc Redman and Ben Kohles of Ponte Vedra Beach for wanting to take a break from this week's Korn Ferry Tour Finals event in Columbus, Ohio.
After all, Redman is second on the points list, and with three playoff events remaining, the PGA Tour numbers-crunchers have determined that the top five on the points list will clinch spots among the top 20 and earn their PGA Tour cards for 2027. Kohles, at No. 17, is perhaps another top-10 away from that, and he is assured of a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
Paul Peterson of St. Simons Island, Ga., Lanto Griffin of Ponte Vedra Beach and Will Gordon of St. Simons are taking a bit of bigger risk by not playing in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, which begins Sept.
17 at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course.
But they're not taking the week off ― all three secured spots in the PGA Tour's first FedEx Cup Fall event, the Biltmore Championship at The Cliffs at Walnut Grove in Asheville, N.C.
The top 100 players on the Korn Ferry Tour points list after this week's tournament will advance to the Compliance Solutions Championship Oct. 1-4 at The Patriot Golf Club in Owassa, Okla. The top 60 from that week then move on to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship Oct. 8-11 at the Federal Club in Glen Allen, Va.
Peterson is 85th on the points list and Griffin is 86th. They have a good chance of remaining inside the top 100 to make it to Oklahoma.
But Gordon essentially is sacrificing his chance to get his Tour card back through the Korn Ferry Tour. He's resting on the No. 100 bubble and is likely to get left out of the next Finals event.
However, it's tough to pass on the chance to play in a PGA Tour event and try to grab lightning in a bottle for one week. Plus, Gordon is from Davidson, N.C., just two hours from The Cliffs, and he's likely to get spots in upcoming Fall events.
Five players with area ties inside the top 100 aren't taking any chances and will be playing in Columbus: Nick Gabrelcik (No. 37), Travis Trace (No. 47), Rick Lamb (No. 66), Julian Suri (No. 75) and Carl Yuan (No. 94).
Three area players are fighting for their seasons: Tyson Alexander (No. 121), Sebastian Cappelen (No. 125) and Russell Knox (No. 132).
Zach Johnson commits to Furyk & Friends
Zach Johnson of St. Simons Island, who won his fifth PGA Tour Champions event last week at the Sanford International in Sioux Falls, S.D., has committed to the Constellation Furyk & Friends Oct. 9-11 at the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach.
Johnson won his first Champions Tour start to kick off a string of 12 consecutive top-10 finishes. He has won four of his last seven starts and remains second behind Stewart Cink in the Schwab Cup points race. Johnson will likely pass $3 million in earnings this week at the Pure Insurance Classic at Pebble Beach.
Also committing to the Furyk & Friends this week were 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, 2009 Players champion Henrik Stenson and Boo Weekley.
Tour sponsor to support brain health
The PGA Tour's newest sponsor, AbbVie, will launch "Birdies for Brain Health," a campaign that seeks to raise awareness and support for people living with brain health conditions and their care partners.
AbbVie, a Chicago-based global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and delivers advanced medicines for complex and serious health conditions, is the official pharmaceutical sponsor of the PGA Tour and 2026 Presidents Cup, which will be played Sept. 27-30 at Medinah, near Chicago.
AbbVie's Birdies for Brain Health will be a multi-year campaign that will donate money for every birdie at PGA Tour Signature Events and FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2027.
The campaign will launch at the Presidents Cup and donations will be shared among six patient advocacy organizations advancing science, awareness and support across migraine, mental health conditions and Parkinson’s disease, the American Migraine Foundation, National Headache Foundation, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the Parkinson’s Foundation.
PGA Tour player Gary Woodland, a Presidents Cup vice-captain, 2019 U.S. Open champion and a survivor of surgery to remove a brain lesion in 2023, will be part of the campaign.
“My experience has shown me how important awareness, support and a strong community can be when someone is facing a health challenge," said Woodland in a statement."Birdies for Brain Health gives us a meaningful way to use golf's platform to support organizations advancing science and patient advocacy, while helping people with brain health conditions and their care partners know they are not alone.”
For more information about Birdies for Brain Health and AbbVie’s purpose-driven partnership with the PGA Tour, visit abbvie.com/pgatour.
PGA Tour
Event: Biltmore Championship, Sept. 17-20, The Cliffs at Walnut Grove, Asheville, N.C.
Purse: $5 million ($900,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner).
Defending champion: First-year event.
TV: Golf Channel (Sept. 17, 3-6 p.m.; Sept. 18, 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Sept. 19-20, 1-4 p.m.).
Area players: Chandler Blanchet, Jonathan Byrd, Ricky Castillo, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Will Gordon, Lanto Griffin, Billy Horschel, Patton Kizzire, Ben Kohles, Paul Peterson, J.T. Poston, Jimmy Stanger, Davis Thompson, Alejandro Tosti, Karl Vilips, Danny Walker.
PGA Tour Champions
Event: Pure Insurance Open, Sept. 18-20, Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.
Purse: $2.4 million ($432,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Doug Barron.
Area players: Zach Johnson, Vijay Singh.
TV: Golf Channel (Sept. 18-20, 6-9 p.m.).
Korn Ferry Tour
Event: Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, Sept. 17-20, Ohio State University Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio.
Purse: $1.5 million ($270,000 to the winner).
2025 champion: John VanDerLaan.
Area players (points standing): Nick Gabrelcik (37), Travis Trace (47), Rick Lamb (66), Julian Suri (75), Carl Yuan (94), Tyson Alexander (121), Sebastian Cappelen (125), Russell Knox (132).
TV: Golf Channel (Sept. 17-18, 1-3 p.m.; Sept. 19-20, 4-6 p.m.).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Are Korn Ferry contenders taking a chance by playing on the PGA Tour?
